Thor Erickson, grill master and chef instructor at the Cascade Culinary Institute of Central Oregon Community College, fires up kebabs at his home in Bend on July 20.
(Joe Kline/Bulletin photo) - Bulletin

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Thor Erickson, grill master and chef instructor at the Cascade Culinary Institute of Central Oregon Community College, fires up kebabs at his home in Bend on July 20.
(Joe Kline/Bulletin photo)6508437

Summer is in full swing, and so are the food trends people look forward to each year.

This Bulletin reporter spent an afternoon with Thor Erickson, grill master and chef instructor at the Cascade Culinary Institute of Central Oregon Community College, to learn more about the best practices for preparing a popular summer dish: kebabs.

Erickson’s son, 10-year-old Johann, picked up a sliced purple potato and slid it down a long metal skewer. Next, he went for a piece of red bell pepper and poked it through. His dad assisted with the more technical (and dangerous) component: placing the veggie skewers on the grill. When he opened the hood of the barbecue the smell of caramelized kebabs wafted through the back patio area.

Kebabs have been a staple meal for centuries. Now, they are gaining popularity as a type of street food.

“Necessity is the mother of invention in terms of everything that we eat and how it’s cooked,” Erickson explained. “Nomadic people that came into the (Middle Eastern) region found that grilling a piece of meat or cooking pieces of meat over an open fire was an easy way of sustenance.”

The beauty of the dish is that it doesn’t take long to prepare, can be made in advance and can be customized to your liking.

Erickson has created kebab recipes for readers to make in their own homes: Thai chicken and Japanese sweet potato, ground lamb, and vegetable.

Still hungry afterward? There are some how tos for grilled fruit and a recommended dessert kebab. He has also provided some tips and tricks to keep in mind.

Grill marks

Fruit and vegetable kebabs are finished when grill marks have appeared because that means the heat has extracted the natural sugars in the food and brought them to the surface.

“What I’m looking for is what real food science geeks call a good maillard reaction, and the maillard reaction is what happens when the natural sugars in food start to caramelize,” Erickson said. The sweeter something is, the quicker it will reach that point of natural caramelization.

When grilling meats, it’s important to use a food thermometer to be sure the meat is completely cooked through. For ground meats, the meat will naturally release from the grill when it is ready to be turned. If it’s difficult to flip the lamb kebabs without pulling them off the grill grates, they are not yet ready to be turned.

Colors and textures

To add to both the presentation and taste of kebabs, it’s best to have a variety of textures and colors. Vegetable skewers, especially, provide an opportunity to vary textures and use vibrantly colored foods.

“I did the purple potatoes (on the vegetable kebab). I think that having a variety of textures on a kebab or skewer is nice,” Erickson said. “The sweet potato on the chicken skewer also counteracts texture, but it’s the flavor as well.”

The contrast of a meat kebab on top of a dark green kale leaf or bright white pile of rice adds to the presentation and enhances the taste by soaking up the juices from the grilled meats.

Proper equipment

There are four pieces of equipment the chef instructor recommends having when cooking kebabs: metal skewers, tongs or an oven mitt, a food thermometer and a sharp knife.

Erickson prefers to use metal skewers for several reasons; they are sustainable, easier to manipulate and fire proof.

“If you have a wooden skewer, if it sinks through and there’s any vulnerable spot of the wood, it will just burn and then fall off,” Johann said.

“The metal skewers also provide a temperature conduit in the middle, so if you’re cooking something like chicken or ground meat, once these heat up a little bit it starts to cook in the inside as well,” Erickson explained.

It’s important to remember either tongs or an oven mitt to handle the metal skewers in order to avoid burning your hands when flipping the kebabs.

Sauces, spices and marinades

While vegetable kebabs can stand on their own, sauces and spices are often used on meat kebabs to enhance flavor. Sauces and marinades tend to work better with chicken because chicken is drier and the marinade gives the meat more moisture. If you’re cooking a ground meat kebab, spices mixed into the ground meat work well and a sauce can be added on the side to enhance flavor.

To enhance the flavor of vegetable kebabs, a light vinaigrette can be brushed onto the kebab, as Erickson includes in his recipe. He has created a simple vinaigrette using basil, Dijon mustard, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Dessert kebabs

Dessert kebabs can be as easy as sliced fruit on a stick. Erickson recommends grilling sliced peaches on a skewer. After grill marks appear, take the peaches off the grill and slide them off the skewer. Add some vanilla ice cream and crumbled up cookie. The result is the taste of a peach crisp with half the time and the mess.

Don’t like peaches? Try nectarines, plums, apricots or strawberries. The concept is simple but the fruits taste delicious after being grilled.

Using a separate cutting board, cut chicken thighs into strips and refrigerate.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and pour over chicken pieces.

Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, thread the marinated chicken pieces on one skewer keeping them as flat as possible.

Grill over medium heat making sure that the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit — this should be checked with an instant read meat thermometer.

Serve with coconut peanut sauce and one lime cut into wedges for garnish.

For the Coconut-Peanut Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly.

Set aside while chicken is grilled.

Vegetable Kebabs

Serves 4 to 6

1 zucchini cut into 1-inch chunks

1 yellow squash cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 red onion cut into 1-inch wedges

1 red or yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces

1 dozen cherry or grape tomatoes

6 purple potatoes (optional) boiled and cut in half

For the lemon basil vinaigrette

Zest and juice of two lemons

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 C loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 C of light vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Thread vegetables on one skewer in desired combination.

For the lemon basil vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients except oil in a blender. Set to medium speed until mixture is combined. Slowly add oil until it is mixed in.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

East Indian Lamb Kebabs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 lb ground lamb

2 onions, finely chopped

1/2 C fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1/2 C cilantro, finely chopped

1 TBS ginger paste

1 TBS green chile paste

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl. Cover mixture and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. Divide mixture into 4-ounce portions.

Form each 4-ounce portion into a bar, measuring about 4 inches long by 1.5 inches wide. Push two skewers into each bar lengthwise — this will add stability during the cooking process.

Heat grill to high heat. Brush the grill grates with light oil and place lamb skewers on the hot grill. After two minutes, turn them over to the other side. Let them rest for five minutes before serving.